CD Review: Iva Bittová – Iva Bittová
(ECM 2275. CD Review by Laura Jurd)
This record is the Czech violinist, singer and composer Iva Bittová’s debut solo album for ECM after her appearance on the 2007 ECM release ‘Mater’ by composer Vladimír Godár. As an avid follower of the ECM label and a huge fan of Bittová it makes perfect sense to me that these two musical forces have finally collided.
It is an album to sit down and listen to. As always, Iva completely captivates the listener – her singing and violin playing working as one single organism in a series of short fragments. I can’t help but think of the speech rhythms in much of Janáček’s music when listening to Iva, along with the influence of Eastern Europe and contemporary composition. Inspired, free-spirited, Iva radiates music, having created a truly personal folk music of her own.
A series of 12 Fragments is a great representation of the different aspects of Iva Bittová as a composer and an improviser. Evocative melodies, hypnotic loops, sonic exploration of the voice and the violin – all played with effortless finesse, spontaneity and heart-felt passion. Every word sung, every note played sits amongst perfection – truly beautiful music.
Iva Bittová: voice, violin, kalimba
Laura Jurd’s debut album Landing Ground was released last year. We asked Laura Jurd to write about this release because one of the tracks on that highly acclaimed album, The Lady of Bruntál, is named after Iva Bittová.
Categories: miscellaneous
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